Raised on George Jones and Tammy Wynette, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash and Emmylou Harris, she sang harmonies as a toddler, eventually thinking she'd make a career of it. Following the murder-suicide of her parents (perpetrated by her father) in 1986, she moved into her aunt and uncle's home.
Not long afterwards, sister Shelby Lynne moved to Nashville for a career in music, and after her high school graduation, Moorer followed. She sang harmonies with her sister for a while but returned to Alabama to earn a degree in public relations. She skipped the graduation ceremony to move back to Nashville.
Her song "A Soft Place to Fall" was tapped for Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer in 1998, and she also appeared in the movie. Because the ballad earned her an Academy Award nomination, she performed it on the 1999 Oscars ceremony. However, none of her singles from her debut "Alabama Song" or its follow-up "The Hardest Part" received much radio airplay, nor achieving chart success though both projects were highly praised by critics.
When Brown moved from MCA to sister label Universal South, Moorer followed. Her 2002 album "Miss Fortune" earned more raves, but didn't meet sales expectations. She almost got another big break by recording the duet "Picture" with Kid Rock after Sheryl Crow had bowed out. However, Crow changed her mind, and the Rock/Crow-version became a huge radio hit. Yet, the song was credited on the charts to both Crow and Moorer. In addition, the CD single featuring Moorer sold 500,000 copies and is certified Gold by the RIAA. Her ballad "Tumbling Down" (from Miss Fortune) was featured on the soundtrack of the popular 2002 film The Rookie.
Her live album album "Show"(2003) was recorded in one night (two performances) at the 12th and Porter in Nashville and despite popular belief, it features the first recorded collaboration by both Moorer sisters.
After releasing Show and a DVD on Universal South, Moorer moved to independent label Sugar Hill Records. With a slightly rougher edge than past efforts, The Duel was released in April 2004.
After a divorce between Moorer and Primm, she eventually married Steve Earle, after serving as his opening act on a European tour. Earle produced her 2006 album, "Getting Somewhere". Moorer wrote all the songs, with the exception of one co-written with Earle. She and Earle were nominated for a Grammy award in the category Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, for the song "Days Aren't Long Enough" from Earle's "Washington Square Serenade".
Moorer released the Buddy Miller-produced "Mockingbird" in February 2008; an album mainly of covers of songs by female singer/songwriters including her sister, Shelby Lynne.
Her latest studio album "Crows" (2010), features her first departure from the Contemporary Country style of her earlier albums, instead changing to a Pop and Contemporary Singer/Songwriter style.
http://allisonmoorer.com
Moonshiner
Allison Moorer Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I spent all my money on whiskey and beers
I go to some hollow and put up my stilt
I'll make you one gallon for two dollar bill
I go to some grocery and drink with my friends
No women to follow to see what I spent
God bless those women I wish they were mine
I'll eat when I'm hungry and drink when I'm dry
If moonshine don't kill me I'll live till I die
God bless those moonshiners, I wish they were mine
Their breath smells as sweet as the good ol' moonshine
I might go to heaven, I might go to hell
Till I meet my maker don't know where I'll [Incomprehensible]
It feels like stirred whiskey, I'll live in the sky
High upon the mountain with some sweet moonshine
The song "Moonshiner" by Allison Moorer is a melancholic reflection on the life of a moonshiner. The lyrics describe the singer's seventeen-year experience as a moonshiner, spending all their money on whiskey and beer. They go to a hollow to set up their still, where they offer to make a gallon of moonshine for two dollars. The singer then goes out to drink with friends at a grocery, lamenting the lack of women to follow them around and keep tabs on their spending. The singer praises the women they encounter, describing their breath as sweet as the dew on the vine. The chorus repeats the sentiment that the moonshiners' breath smells sweet as the good ol' moonshine, and that if it doesn't kill them, they'll live until they die. The final lines reflect on the uncertainty of the singer's fate, suggesting that they might go to heaven or hell and that they don't know where they'll end up until they meet their maker. Nonetheless, they suggest that a good life is one spent high upon a mountain with some sweet moonshine.
The song is a poignant reflection on the often difficult and dangerous life of moonshiners, who work in secret to produce a product that is both illegal and highly prized. The singer's descriptions of their life as a moonshiner suggest a certain pride in their work and a sense of community with other moonshiners, but also a sense of isolation and perhaps even desperation. The singer's desire for the company of women and their uncertain fate suggest that life as a moonshiner is not a glamorous one.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been a moonshiner for seventeen long years
I have been illegally making and distributing homemade liquor for a period of seventeen years.
I spent all my money on whiskey and beers
I squandered my earnings on buying whiskey and beer.
I go to some hollow and put up my stilt
I secretly set up my distilling equipment in a remote, deserted location.
I'll make you one gallon for two dollar bill
I offer to sell one gallon of moonshine for a two dollar bill.
I go to some grocery and drink with my friends
I visit a local store and gather with my acquaintances to consume liquor.
No women to follow to see what I spent
There are no females monitoring my expenses.
God bless those women I wish they were mine
May God bless those women; I desire to have them as my significant others.
Their breath smells as sweet as the dew on the vine
Their breath possesses a delicate fragrance akin to that of dew resting on a grape's skin.
I'll eat when I'm hungry and drink when I'm dry
I indulge in food whenever I become hungry and alcohol whenever I grow parched.
If moonshine don't kill me I'll live till I die
As long as my illicit liquor doesn't cause my death, I will continue to exist until my natural end.
God bless those moonshiners, I wish they were mine
May God bless those individuals who engage in moonshining; I aspire to be like them.
Their breath smells as sweet as the good ol' moonshine
The scent of their breath has a delightful aroma comparable to that of traditional moonshine.
I might go to heaven, I might go to hell
I remain uncertain whether I will obtain eternal salvation or damnation.
Till I meet my maker don't know where I'll be
Until I encounter my divine creator, I am unaware of my final destination.
It feels like stirred whiskey, I'll live in the sky
It seems like I am surrounded by stirred-up whiskey, so I anticipate spending my afterlife in heaven.
High upon the mountain with some sweet moonshine
I intend to reside at the summit of a mountain with a stock of delicious moonshine.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: . TRADITIONAL, BILL SHEPHERD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind